- April 19, 2024
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As Alyssa Modiano and her father, Daniel Modiano, drove to Hair Cuttery, he kept asking if she was sure about her decision to donate 10 inches to Wigs for Kids.
Alyssa had no doubts.
As a sixth-grader at Belle Terre Elementary School, Alyssa wanted to show support for her friend Grace, a third-grader at BTES who has cancer.
“He was like, ‘Your hair is too pretty,’ Alyssa recalled her dad saying. “And I said, ‘That is exactly why someone who’s fighting for their life deserves it.’”
Alyssa, 12, has always showed a deep compassion for people, said her mother, Laurie Bulus.
“One of the days before I did this, I saw [Grace] crying, and I asked her what was wrong, and she said that kids in her class were bullying her because of her hair,” Alyssa said.
She didn’t want her friend to feel alone anymore. She was going to get her hair cut short too.
“I told my mom the day I decided and she was like, ‘Are you crazy?’” Alyssa said.
“I was just afraid, knowing how the kids already were, that they were going to be hard on her too,” Bulus said. “But she said, ‘You know mom? I’m doing it for the right reason,’ and she’s absolutely right.”
The family’s concern faded once they saw how determined Alyssa was to make this gesture for Grace, despite only knowing her since the beginning of the school year.
“I wanted to do something to not only show support to her, but to kids like her who also have cancer and probably are being bullied too,” Alyssa said. “So, I decided. Donating money is one thing, but showing more support for my friend, I could donate my hair.”
On April 5, the deed was done. Alyssa said the whole hair salon applauded. The hair dresser let her cut the first piece and gave her a bow to jazz up her new style.
When Alyssa walked back onto the Bobcat campus Monday, April 8, some students stared, she said. But it didn’t matter because Grace was grateful.
“She was so happy,” Alyssa said. “She was like, ‘You really did it. Thank you so much.’”
Now Alyssa picks out a different bow or headband each day to wear and looks forward to playing Barbie’s with Grace in the after-school program.
“[Grace] seems really confident now,” Alyssa said. “She’s been wearing bows in her hair lately.”
Visit https://www.wigsforkids.org.
